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Houston (CBS HOUSTON) – Texans interim coach Wade Phillips refused to describe Ed Reed as the back-up at free safety but didn’t offer an endorsement that he would take the field with the starters Sunday against the Cardinals. Phillips described match-ups as the reason Shiloh Keo started Sunday against the Colts.

“Whatever we feel like will help us win is what we are going to do,” he explained after Thursday’s practice.

Phillips was quick to add that Keo has done some good things. “Obviously he had a big interception in the Kansas City game when we were one point behind that gave us a chance to win the ballgame. We think Keo has done some good things also.”

So is Reed still considered the starter? The interim coach chose his words carefully.

“Whether he is the sixth man or the starter or not, it is like a lot of other positions, it depends what the offense comes out in the first series,” he said. “It is really dictated by our packages and what we do, who is actually playing the first play of the game.”

“It is a game of match-ups, that is what pro football is,” Phillips added. “We try to get the right match-up at the right time.”